TNT: Why vape shops in Washington are welcoming new state regulations, but concerned about federal rules

Posted by Bruce Dammeier45sc on September 29, 2016

"But state Sen. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup, who sponsored Washington state’s less restrictive rules, said placing costly regulations on e-cigarettes has risks. While vaping isn’t healthy, he said, it’s a better alternative to cigarettes and should stay cheaper to discourage cigarette use.

'At this point I believe we have a vested interest in people who are smoking switching to vaping,' he said. 'For (people who vape) to have a little more money in their pocket as the result of that decision, I’m OK with that.'

Dammeier is not alone in thinking smokers should vape if they can’t kick their nicotine addiction. A major medical organization in the United Kingdom has been urging cigarette users to vape instead if they can’t quit, because it says studies show vaping is less harmful than smoking. Smoking kills nearly 500,000 people a year in the U.S. and 6 million people worldwide, according to the U.S. Center For Disease Control."